Fractured
by HeadGoddessofCynicism
Summary: Severely injured in a battle helping the Titans, Red X is forced to stay in Titan’s Tower with Raven. Love begins to blossom, but will it be crushed before it gets a chance to bloom? Added Chapter Four. Be excited.
1. Titan's Tower

Hi! HeadGoddessofCynicism here, along with my muse Maura Estella!  
ME: Someone remind me why I took this job…  
HGOC: You needed the money.   
ME: But you aren't paying me!   
HGOC: Your point?  
ME: Good grief-  
HGOC: You aren't Charlie Brown.  
ME: You're crazy.  
HGOC: Why thank you. Maura Estella is here to explain why this fic is gonna be better, at least in terms of grammar, than most other 'first fics.'  
ME: This is only the first fic Cynicism's posted. She's written numerous others; just none that she felt were worth posting. As it is, much to my joy of being able to make her work so much, she has rewritten this several times, due to not only plot changes, but to things that just sounded weird or were grammatically incorrect. And, my final point, English is her best subject. So enjoy!  
HGOC: Ahem Aren't you forgetting something?  
ME: Oh yeah… LIBERATE YOUR MUSES!   
HGOC: NOT THAT!  
ME: Ohhhhhhhhhhh… HeadGoddessofCynicism doesn't own Teen Titans. If anything, they own her.   
HGOC: Nods with approval. And now for your random opening quote.

RANDOM QUOTE:

Pencils lose their point if you don't have an eraser to go with them.

SUMMARY:

Severely injured in a battle helping the Titans, Red X is forced to stay in Titan's Tower with Raven. Love begins to blossom, but will it be crushed before it gets a chance to bloom?

O.O o.o -.- . 

The man in the bed moaned loudly as he opened his eyes. The first thing he discovered that his mask was still in place. The second thing he found out was that he was in some sort of hospital of something, judging from the décor.

"Where am I?" he murmured despite the pounding headache that was threatening to make his skull explode.

He saw Starfire, and against better judgment, decided to ask her.

"Hey, where am I?"

"EEP! FRIEND ARGENT! THE RED X HAS AWOKENED!" she yelled.

"Don't be so loud," he groaned, praying she wouldn't talk anymore.

A white skinned girl with a British accent came into the room. She was wearing a strange outfit. The bottom was the same as her uniform, while the top was long sleeved and mock turtle necked. It was all black.

There was a circular hole where the A in her chest was, allowing it to be seen. An old-fashioned nurse's cap sat on her head, black where it was usually white.

"Star, you go get something to eat. I'll be fine with X on my own."

Starfire nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, Friend Argent. I admit I am feeling some of the hunger." She flew out of the room, leaving it blissfully quiet.

"Hi. I'm Argent, but you can call me Arissa. I'm going to be your nurse while Raven is… out."

She flashed him a small smile, which clashed with the sorrowful, pained expression on her face, before checking the various machines around his bed.

Red X decided to ignore her as much as possible as soon as he all the answers he needed.

"You obviously know who I am, but you wouldn't happen to know where I am, would you?"

"You're in the Titan's Tower medical bay. Solitary confinement. Nightwing, crazy fellow, seemed to think once you woke up you'd start attacking every living soul!"

She looked him up and down. "Honestly, you don't seem like such a bad bloke for being a thief. I know some thieves personally, and they're all amazing friends. So, I've got nothing against you, especially after what you did for Raven. Although… Nightwing seems to have a personal vendetta."

"I stole the suit from him."

"Ah. I see. Well, that certainly would put a damper on your personal relationship."

"Nah, it's not just that. I rub him the wrong way."

"Is that all? Hm… I would've sworn His Royal Obsessiveness said something about you trying to pick up Starfire, or some other cruddy nonsense like that. Wouldn't happen to be true, now would it?

His disbelief radiated off him strongly. "Starfire? Overly perky orange alien chick that is by no means the sharpest spoon in the closet?" I snorted. "As if. I only do it to piss Chuckles- Nightwing- off. Works pretty well."

Argent laughed a little. "You are an okay bloke. Titans North has a thing with pissing him off too. I think we mostly picked it up from our fearless leader."

"Beast Boy, right?"

"Huh?"

"Your leader."

"Nope. We got Raven, thank God! I don't think I could stand Flash if I had the string bean around as well."

"Raven? Really?"

"Mhm. She's the one that supplied us with our arsenal of nicknames for the original Titans, mostly Nightwing and Beast Boy."

"Like what?"

"Let's see… There's Boy Blunder, Wonder Bread, green bean, His Royal Obsessiveness, grass stain, His Royal Pain-in-the-ass, Batboy, oh I could go on and on. But I don't want to gab your ears off. That's Jinx's job. That girl could talk the ears off a donkey! No idea how Wally stands it."

"Wally?"

"Oh, I forgot! You don't know our real names! Okay, starting with the original Titans or Titans West- Nightwing is Richard Grayson; Starfire is Koriand'r, but we Earthized it to Kori Anders; Raven really is Raven, but her civilian name is Rachel Roth; Beast Boy is Garfield Logan, but just call him Gar; and Cyborg is Victor Stone, who you call Vic.

Titans East has Vic as a leader when he's there, Karen Beecher (Bumble Bee) when he's not. Then there's Arsenal, Roy Harper, and Aqualad, Garth. Mas y Menos were Juan and Javier." She grew quiet, and her voice lost what little warmth it had. "They were among the casualties. Every team but Titans West lost a member."

"Who was it for you?"  
She looked on the verge of tears.

"You don't have to tell me if it's too painful for you," he added hastily, noting her current state.

"Herald. Raven took it the hardest. They used to go dimension hopping together, the two of them did. Sometimes they'd take us, but it was mostly just them. They were like brother and sister, they were. But moving on," she said, forcing a smile. "Titans North is, as I said, headed by Raven. Herald was the secondary leader, but now… I guess it's me. We have Flash, Wally West; Jinx, Jennifer Williams, but she prefers to be called Jenn; me; and Jericho, Joseph.

And finally, Titans South, Beast Boy's team. I think Hotspot is the second in command, but I'm not sure. Gar's team isn't big on alter egos. He has Hotspot, Kole and Gnark, and this girl named Frost. They lost Pantha during the fight."

"I'm sorry for your losses," he told her as genuinely as he could.

"Thanks. And thanks for helping out. Without you, I'm pretty sure Raven would be gone."

"Uh, what'd I do?"

"Do you remember the fight at all?"

"No. I barely remember that there was a fight at all. But there was something with robots…"

Britain examined Red X's skull. "Hm… Acute amnesia. When Raven is fixed, she'll help you with that."

"What happened to her?"

"Detailed list, or summary?"

"Summary."

"She got knocked our of the sky from about seven stories up, got beat up by robots, did big voodoo magic whatever, halfway healed everyone here, and almost brought Herald back from the other side, though not necessarily in chronological order."

"Wow. Can I sleep now?"

"Sure. Whatever."

"Great. Buh-"

She slammed the door hard.

"Bye. Hm… And Chuckles calls me rude."

O.O o.o -.- . 

"Any changes?"

"No. So what brings you here?"

"Can't a guy just check up on his leader?"

"Nope. Spill."

"Okay, fine. I came here to see you."

"Much better." She sighed.

"Hey, I miss her too."

"I just want her to wake up. She was my first female friend in the Titans."

She started crying. He came over and wrapped his arms around her. "Sh… It's okay…" he whispered soothingly as he stroked her hair, which fell down past her shoulders, free from its usual style.

"But what if she never wakes up, Wally?" she asked as she buried her head in his chest.

"Sh… It'll be okay, Jenny."

Jinx smiled slightly at his pet name for her.

Flash led the still crying woman out of the room, his arms still encircling her thin frame, leaving their violet haired leader to her comatose state.

O.O o.o -.- . 

FINALLY! It's finished. Now, I have an ending random quote for you. And to those of you that are bound to ask, Raven can't heal herself when she's in the coma, so she's still as damaged as she was directly after the battle.

RANDOM QUOTE:

If you want to label something, go work in a soup factory.

Now go, my minions, and review! Cookie to who ever is my first reviewer!


	2. Seemingly Useless Crap! Oh Joy Take2

First off, **VIRTUAL COOKIE TO ripgurlLillyania!** She was my first reviewer.

And now, let's hear it for chapter two, ladies and gentlemen! I'm posting this in honor of the Teen Titans movie that's premiering Friday! That's right! Glue yourself to the closest TV, and get ready for a movie that honestly looks like it's gonna suck, but I'm gonna watch anyway!

ME: It probably is gonna suck, but don't flame her or anything for saying this. I mean, honestly. It's a cartoon! Besides, she'll probably come back next chapter and be all, "OHMYGOD! THAT WAS THE MOST AWESOME THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"

HGoC: That's enough out of you. Anyways… If you have a good suggestion for a title or something (incase if you haven't noticed, mine sucks) leave it in a review. And now here's Maura Estella again with your disclaimer and randomness!

ME: Yeah, yeah. If you actually think she owns this, then lay off the crack. However, she does own Frost (who may be modeled after HeadGoddessofCynicism herself). Oh! And the label/phrase "Bottle it, Water Boy." She has never heard/read that phrase in any other fic-

HGoC: you can't yell at me for copying, I came up with it myself.

ME: -so if you want to use it, you have to ask.

**RANDOMNESS AHEAD!**

Anatidaphobia- the fear that somehow, somewhere, a duck is watching you

And now, for your story.

Chapter 2

"Dick, there are some people that want to talk to you here about what happened."

"You want me in Gotham? Now?"

"No. I want you to come in a couple of decades."

"Bruce, two of my teammates are in comas, three are dead, and Jump City looks like someone decided to use it as a bowling alley!"

"I don't care. We'll let you keep Flash and maybe Jinx, but all other Titans must come. And we want Flash and Jinx in Gotham for as long and as often as possible."

"You want Raven and Roy too?"

"If it's not too much of an inconvience."

"THEY'RE IN COMAS! WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

"Fine. But they're the only exceptions."

Nightwing just hung up on his old mentor and sighed as he reached for the PA system. "Attention all Titans! Meeting in ten minutes. Attendance is mandatory, unless you are in some way unable to walk."

Instantly, Flash and Jinx were there, the former having drug the latter with him in his rush.

"Walter West! Didn't I tell you not to do that again?"

"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly, and she sighed.

"Just don't do it again."

Flash leaned in and kissed Jinx tenderly on the lips.

Argent and Cyborg chose to walk in at that moment.

"'ey bossman! Make dis quick. Me an' Cy was workin' on da med'cal 'quipment."

"Yo Wally! Jenn! Get a room!"

Flash smirked. "We did. This one."

"Which means you get to clean up after whoever gets ill when they see you two kissing," Aqualad commented, arriving with Bumble Bee.

"Bottle it, Water Boy."

Flash's use of Raven's old nickname for him brought a twisted expression of pain to his normally handsome features.

"Speaking of, anything new, Sparky?"

"No. And nothing with Roy either."

Bumble Bee's face fell.

"It's gonna be okay, Karen." Cyborg gave her a hug and a quick peck on her lips.

"Hey, get a room," Jinx mocked, while at the same time, Flash screeched, covered his eyes, and screamed, "MY EYES! THEY BURN! THEY BURNNNNNNNNNN!" (Me and a friend did this once)

Bumble Bee, who had been on the verge of tears, tried to glare at the couple, but ended up laughing.

Cyborg smiled too, glad that they had succeeded in making his girlfriend laugh, even if it was at their expense. She needed it more than anything.

Hotspot and Frost came in, along with Starfire and Beast Boy.

"What causes you to make such noises of amusement, Friends?"

"Nothing, Kori. Just something someone said to make me feel better."

"But something surely is not nothing, correct?"

They were saved a long, tedious, repetitive explanation by the entrance of Kole and Gnarrk.

"Well, we're all here," Frost said. "Now mind telling us why we're all here?"

"Batman wants to discuss things in Gotham… with all of us."

"But who's gonna watch Raven and the city?" Jinx asked.

"Not to mention clean up, and we've already been away from Steel City too long," Bumble Bee added. "Who knows what kind of crime is going on there."

"I'll talk to Bruce about getting someone from the Justice League to your respective cities, and maybe a couple of people here to help with clean up. Any more questions?"

Beast Boy raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Can we go now?"

Just as Nightwing was about to yell at him, Cyborg started beeping.

"Roy's waking up!"

Immediately, Bumble Bee flew to the medical bay, quickly followed by Aqualad.

Cyborg left too, but not before instruction everyone to stay where they were. They'd call when it was okay to have more visitors.

**Too cool for the line!**

"Ugh… I feel like somebody dropped a Mac truck on me, then ran over me a couple of times just for kicks," Arsenal groaned.

"Glad you're awake, Roy," Bumble Bee laughed, despite the tears that were streaming down her face.

"Not so sure I'm glad to be awake…"

"Hey Dart Board! Glad to have you in the land of the living!"

"Who let him in here? Just bottle it, Water Boy. Can I get Raven in here to heal me now?"

"Um, Roy? Rae's in a coma…" Cyborg told him gently.

"What? How is she?"

"She's not healing, but she's not getting any worse either."

"How you know a battle was bad: When you and one of the best fighters got into a coma and you wake up before her."

"You haven't seen her, Roy. She's really beat up. I'm just thankful the bleeding stopped after twenty minutes. She'd probably be dead by now if it hadn't."

"Bleeding?"

"She had cuts all over her body, some of them pretty deep too. Her whole body is also a giant bruise, and there's obvious head trauma," Bumble Bee added.

"Oh God…"

"Exactly how we feel," Aqualad said.

"We've been monitoring her brain activity, but so far there's no sign that Raven's going to be waking up anytime soon."

"Probably the only reason that you were only down three days was because of the healing she did before she went out," Bumble Bee reasoned.

"Healing?"

"Everyone was at least half healed. The ones that were closest to her were healed the most. You were on the other edge of the final battlefield, so you received some of the least healing, but your wounds still mostly closed up. You still have a long gash in your leg that didn't get healed all the way, so be careful with that."

"Yes, sir, Cyborg sir! Well, if you all don't mind, I think I'm going to take a nap, so…"

"We get the idea. We're leaving," Bumble Bee replied, shooing Aqualad and Cyborg out of her teammate's room.

**Still too cool. 'Cause I'm just awesome like that.**

"How's Roy doing?"

"He's in stable condition. His blood sugar was low earlier, but now it's right where it should be. He's still suffering from the head trauma, and he can't walk yet."

"Bruce just called. He wants Roy in Gotham now, too."

"I don't see how you could stand him. I would've beaten him up after day two."

Nightwing chuckled mirthlessly. "You wouldn't have been able to land even one blow. Besides, you learn how to deal with it. Or at least, Alfred has."

Argent raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Our fearless leader admitting a flaw?"

"You've admitted the same one."

She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "I'm not a leader or anything. You are."

"I thought that since Herald's-" He cut the sentence short, noticing the glassy look her eyes were getting. "Never mind."

"No. I'm going to have to get over it sooner or later. I'm just worried about when Raven wakes up…"

"I take it they were close."

"Mhm. You didn't see her after he fell… Tears streaming down her face, hair a mess… Her powers were glowing so brightly I thought that I would go blind."

Nightwing was silent.

"He took a breath, you know. That's what made it extra hard on Raven. He was almost alive, and then… He didn't take another one."

"I don't know what it's like for you. I didn't loose a member of my team, though I might if Raven, well, you know."

"Yeah. I do."

"But she's going to wake up. She has to! She's too important, too powerful not to."

"You and I both know that it almost never works like that."

"But it doesn't hurt to hope."

"No. It doesn't," Nightwing agreed, though inside he knew that hope was what made it hurt more when you were let down.

**Still totally awesome.**

Okie Dokie: Here's chapter two. The authoress's note was not nearly as long as last time, but I do have something to say down here.

Once again, in case you missed it up there, I'm looking for a title for this fic. Leave it in a review if you have a suggestion, or you can email me.

**Final randomness here. **Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

And for the record, I'm going to post pairings here, just so I'm not giving you false hope.

Raven- Red X (no shit)  
Flash- Jinx  
Cyborg- Bumble Bee  
Nightwing-? (NOT STARFIRE!) (Maybe Batwoman/girl…)  
Starfire- Aqualad?  
Hotspot- Frost  
Argent- Jericho?  
Speedy- Cheshire

And the rest I haven't planned out yet.

Thank you to every one who reviewed, and keep them coming! I promise to put Red X in the next chapter.

Goddess.

(AND REVIEW! REVIEW LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! And it might…)


	3. Something Semi interesting maybe

Hola. Um, yeah. You guys actually seem to like my writing. This mildly disturbs me for reasons only known to fungi. Okay, so, besides practically failing science (I have a D), finding a title all on my own (I _really_ hope you've noticed this by now), and discovering that the Teen Titans movie really did suck balls (**TAKE THAT, MAURA ESTELLA!**), I have nothing new to report! So, going with that theory, here's Maura Estella!

ME: She owns Teen Titans. She also owns the horizontal. And the vertical. Oh, and just to be thorough, we'll throw the diagonal in there too. Grow a brain, people! Check previous disclaimers for a list of things pertaining to this story that she does own.

**RANDOM ALERT! Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." --Mariah Carey (glad to know you've got your priorities straight, Mariah)

**Chapter 3. Have fun.**

"You guys sure you'll be okay?"

"For the last time, Richard!" Jinx yelled, exasperated at Nightwing's over caution. "Wally and I'll be fine. We promise not to let anything happen to Raven or the Tower."

"I don't like you two alone with X. He's no good."

"Hey! I resent that. I used to be a villain, and I'm a hero now."

"But-but," Nightwing sputtered.

"Exactly. He could turn good any time!"

"But-"

"Just trust Jenn's judgment. We're a lot more responsible than you think," Flash said.

"Fine. But if there's any trouble at all-"

"Call you on your communicator," Flash and Jinx finished together. "We _know_! You've only told us about fifty times!"

"Yo Bird Boy! We gotta go!"

Nightwing scowled. "I'm coming!"

"No, you're pulling out your Mom complex on Jenn and Wally. Get your ass down here so we can get a move on to Gotham! Preferably before your crazy psycho mentor goes all crazy psycho on us!"

Cyborg hung up the PA with a soft click.

"Rich should be coming down now. Y'all ready to go?"

The Titans all nodded.

"The trip should take about three to four days. Use your communicators to keep in touch," Bumble Bee ordered.

"The ride leaders will be me and Vic. Karen is riding with Vic, so you can call her too. I want Arissa, Gar, and Garth to bring up the rear, and the rest of you should spread out in the middle," Nightwing instructed as he came into the garage.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" Frost chirped. Hotspot, who was standing next to her, just shook his head and sighed.

"…Right. So what're you waiting for? Let's go, people! We've got to get to Gotham before the twentieth!" Nightwing shouted.

They all shot him glares before moving towards their respective vehicles (AN: Use your imagination. I don't want flames because of anything I decide. And Aqualad is NOT swimming. So if you're pissed at me for making him drive or something, SCREW YOU!)

**Too cool for the line. **

"So, Wally… Now that the resident Mother and the other Titans are gone, what do you want to do?"

"Well… I can think of something that might be interesting…"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

"Hm… It wouldn't happen to involve the lips at all, would it?"

"Maybe…"

Suddenly, a buzzer sounded over the PA system.

"And maybe it involves feeding our resident pain-in-the-ass," Flash sighed.

"I'll go see what he wants," Jinx said.

"Alright."

Jinx walked quietly to the medical bay and opened the door. She walked passed Raven's bed, sparing only one wistful glance at the violet haired woman before continuing to the room the housed Red X.

"You rang?" she asked dryly.

"Yeah. If it's not too much trouble, I haven't eaten for about twelve hours, so could I get something to eat?"

"I KNEW there was something we were forgetting…"

"Yeah… Food now, please."

"Sure." Jinx pulled out her communicator and called Flash. "He hasn't eaten in twelve hours. We need food stat, before he passes out."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, well, don't get too used to it."

"You know, you aren't very talkative."

"Who said I would be?"

"The one chick with the black hair… Arissa, I think her name was."

"Arissa? Oh shit, she only told you her name, right?"

"No. I know all your names, including yours, Jenn."

"Well, I suppose it is a fair trade for her seeing your face."

"WHAT!"

"Yeah. 'Rissa had to take off your mask to check for bruises or cuts. Also she thought your nose might've been broken."

"But she said that you didn't take off my mask!"

"That was to lull you into a false sense of security. She also knows your name. Cross-referenced a pic she took of you with your mask off or something like that. Did it on Raven's computer though, so your identity is safe… For now."

Red X's eyes widened. "For now?" he echoed.

"Yeah. 'Rissa only takes orders from Raven, so you're good at least 'til she wakes up."

"Joy."

"Hey Jinx. Got the food," Flash said as he strolled leisurely through the door.

"You must be Wally. Glad to know someone here can feed a person," Red X commented.

Flash froze. "How does he-"

"-Know your name? Arissa told him. She told him all of ours."

"Great. Now we're walking targets for a thief," Flash said as he ran a hand through his messy red hair.

"No. 'Rissa knows his name."

"So it would be an equal trade, if not for the fact that there are twenty more of us than there are of him!"

"Complain to Arissa. What do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know! Can't you hex him into forgetting?"

"No. He already has head trauma. It could cause him to turn into a human vegetable."

"So?"

"First off, can you two please stop talking about me like I'm not here? And secondly, you would be dead if I didn't have a big gash in my leg."

"Lucky for me, then. Also lucky for me even with out the gash, you'd never be able to catch me."

"Can we stop talking about luck? Especially considering I'm the tabloid proclaimed 'Goddess of Bad Luck.'"

"Don't remind me," Flash muttered darkly. When the label had first come out, the accompanying "article" had targeted and hit some of Jinx's greatest insecurities. He had spent weeks convincing her that the article, if it could be called that, was a load of garbage not fit to be seen by human eyes.

"Theoretically, I could ask. But I won't," Red X commented.

"Good."

"Can I eat now?"

"Do you think of anything else?"

"Well, excuse me for not eating for twelve hours. I so obviously was able to get up and go to your kitchen (wherever that may be) and get myself food! I'm oh-so sorry for not doing so."

Jinx sighed and handed him the tray. "Here. Now stop complaining. Buzz us when you're done."

Red X just started eating. Flash rolled his eyes and led Jinx from the room, stopping only briefly to look at Raven to see if she was improving.

Red X made it a point to find out what was in the other room that everyone kept stopping and staring at. Just as soon as he could walk.

**Fear my totally cool awesomeness. BOW TO YOUR GODDESS! What, power trip? Me? As if!**

"Batman says that both of you are due in Gotham tomorrow at nine hundred hours sharp."

"Oh joy. We get to meet the anti-social prick."

"Sh… He might hear you!"

Jinx gave Nightwing a look. "You're paranoid."

"No. I just want to make it back in one piece."

"Whatever you say, paranoid suck-up."

"He is, isn't he?"

A red-haired girl (That isn't Starfire, you obsessed nerds) appeared on the video transmition next to Nightwing.

"Go away, Babs. I'm talking here. This is my team, not yours."

"We're Raven's team, not yours. And who's this?" Jinx asked suspiciously.

"Barbara- Babs- Gordon. Also known as Batgirl."

"BatWOMAN! God, Dick. I'm not Batgirl! Call me that one more time, and I'll start calling you Robin."

"You wouldn't dare."

Batwoman's smirk seemed to say, "Try me."

"So besides Batman, who else is there?" Flash asked as he came into the room.

"Superman, Wonderwoman, you know, the usuals. They're all interested in knowing what happened there in Jump City. Also, they seem really want to see Raven, whoever she is."

"She's our leader. Ours, Argent's, and Jericho's too. We're Titans North, and if you haven't heard of our work in Star City, then you don't know anything."

"They want _that_ Raven? Holy shit!"

"Well, who did you think it was?" Jinx snapped.

Batwoman shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't think it was her."

"Yeah, well, think again. Jinx and Flash out."

Flash cut the connection. "God. Some people are just so ignorant."

"Calm down, Wally. It'll do no good if you just lash out at people."

"But Raven… She's great. She's the sort of person that legends are made of! She killed someone that couldn't be killed! It's not like that's an every day occurrence!"

"I know, but that doesn't change anything."

Both their communicators started beeping.

"Do you want to get it, or will I?" Flash asked.

"I will. You might get into an argument with him, and that's the last thing I need right now."

"Right."

Jinx set off once again for the medical wing. She was just about to open the door to Red X's room when she noticed something out of the ordinary.

"WALLY! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

**Dun dun dun!**

CLIFF HANGER! Just when you thought I couldn't get any eviler. Oh, and I hope I cleared up in this chapter why Argent was so open in the first chapter. It was a guilt thing.

**Final randomness-** "The word 'genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." --Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback &sports analyst. (Oh really? Never would've guessed.)

And finally, **REVIEW! REVIEW LIKE THIS STORY'S LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! Because evidently, having your own life on the line just isn't doing the trick.**


	4. At long last

I could torture you for a few more weeks, but I won't.

ME: Ahem… Forgetting something?

Oh yeah… Squid are out to take over the world!

ME: _Rolls eyes_ She **_so_** obviously owns Teen Titans. I mean, just look at how much RobStar fluff there is! Oh, and the complete lack of any RaeMal, RaeRed, and/or RaeRob moments is another dead give away. Not to mention the Teen Titans movie that was clearly the work of a RaeRob shipper. _rolls eyes again_ It's called a brain, people. Get one.

**Randomness. Yeah. I'm just cool like that.**

"Oh, friends are just enemies who don't have enough guts to kill you." - Judy Tenuta

**Chapter Four**- the tragic end of my period of evilness. Oh, and I might throw something else in here, just to make it a little more interesting. But no one guessed what would happen. I'm kinda disappointed, but happy too.

Flash was there immediately. "What's wrong, Jenny?"

"Just look." Jinx pointed to Raven's bed, where she was levitating, her bruises, cuts, and all other wounds disappearing in a wave of white that encompassed her entire body.

"She's…"

"Yeah. She is."

The white aura surrounding her gently let her down onto the bed once more. Upon her landing, Raven groaned.

"Gods, I'm so freaking sore… And would you please stop staring at me like I'm a ghost or something?" she snapped as she ripped out her IVs. Raven sat up, and got off the bed.

"I am going to my room for some much needed meditation. Do not disturb me," she ordered.

All Flash and Jinx could do was nod dumbly.

"Good." And with that, she marched out of the room.

Snapping out of her stupor, Jinx remembered why she was even there in the first place.

Jinx dragged Flash into Red X's room and picked up his tray.

"So what was with the flashy white light?" he asked, seemingly nonchalant.

"A friend was getting better."

"Really? Which friend? Wouldn't happen to be Raven, would it?"

Jinx gave him a stern look. "Who said Raven was even ill?"

"Not sick, just some how incapacitated, probably a coma. And the British chick mentioned something."

"Whenever I see Arissa next, her mouth is as good as gone."

Red X pretended to pout. "Aw… But then where will I get my gossip?"

Flash glared at him. "You won't."

"Such a shame."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Well-" Her communicator went off, as did Flash's. She grabbed his tray and left the room quickly, Flash close behind. They went to the common room, stopping only to drop off the tray.

She opened the video link, and saw Cyborg. "Hey Vic. How's it going in Gotham?"

"The 'questionings' are hell. They're more like interrogations. The Doom Patrol came today too, so they're 'helping' out."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. They want me and Wally there tomorrow so they can 'talk' to us about what happened."

"Poor you. Anyway, can you check on Raven? I suddenly lost track of her vitals. It's like she disappeared."

"No, she just healed herself."

"Oh, is that- SAY WHAT?"  
Jinx giggled and Wally chuckled.

"I healed myself. Going deaf already, Vic?"

"Rae! You're awake!"

"No, I'm just sleep walking my way around the Tower."

However, Cyborg wasn't paying attention. He was too busy telling the other Titan's to be bothered with such a minor function like that.

Soon, all the Titans were visible on the screen, even Jericho, who was in a wheelchair, and Speedy, who was on crutches. They immediately began bombarding her with questions, concerns, and random things. Raven did the best she could, even holding a conversation in sign language with Jericho while she 'chatted' with Starfire and Bumble Bee.

However, this all was cut short when Bruce Wayne came into the room.

"Mr. Wayne, or should I call you Batman?" Raven asked, her tone that of frosty politeness.

"Mr. Wayne is fine for the moment. I'm sure you're aware of the questionings by now. You, Walter, and Jennifer are due here tomorrow morning at exactly o' nine hundred hours. Failure to comply will result in a house call from the Justice League."

"Oh joy," Raven muttered sarcastically. "What a pleasant way to spend my first full day after waking up from a coma."

Bruce gave her a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It is, isn't it?"

Raven rolled her eyes, and instead of being terrified, as Nightwing would've been in her position, she cut the connection. "Gods, what a pain in the ass! He's a billionaire. Surely he has better things to do with his time."

"No, I'm pretty sure he doesn't," Flash said.

"Obviously."

"It's good to have you back, Raven. We missed you a lot."

Raven's expression softened. "Thanks."

Jinx beamed. "You're welcome! Oh, and you need to check Red X. Arissa mentioned that still had some head trauma, which caused minor amnesia. He doesn't remember the battle at all. Think you could check that out?"

She sighed dramatically. "If I must."

"He's in the single room. He also has a gash in his leg, so you might want to heal that."

Raven phased through the floor, ignoring anything else Jinx had to say. She strode briskly into Red X's room, her no-nonsense air already working on Red X.

"You have a gash in your leg, correct?"

"Yeah…"

"Which leg?"

"The left."

"May I see it?"

"What're you going to do to it?" he asked suspiciously, not trusting Raven.

"Heal it. Unless, of course, you want don't want to walk normally for the rest of your life. Then I'm just here to check out your thick skull to see what kind of damage is there."

Red X gestured to his leg. "Heal away."

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled away the covers. She placed her hands on his knee, and concentrated. A soft blue light pulsated from her hands, and Red X could see the cut in his leg closing up, leaving the skin as if there never was a wound.

"Nice work, Sunshine," Red X muttered, looking over his leg.

"Now for your head…"

She took leaned forward, and in one smooth motion pulled off his mask. Red X let out a strangled cry of surprise.

"How do you expect me to see your scalp through the mask? Besides, it's not like I don't know who you are."

"You read Britain's reports, didn't you?"

"Naturally. I must admit, you don't seem very angelic to me. Must've been wishful thinking on your parent's part."

"That's why I go by my middle name."

"Mhm," Raven mumbled as she pulled his head forward, pushing his light brown hair way to examine the base of his skull. "I see the problem. You got hit just above the base of your skull, probably with a piece of shrapnel. It evidently has caused acute memory loss."

"Great. Can you get my memories back?"

Raven bit her lip. "Technically…"

"But?"

"It's a very painful process. Are you sure you want to do it?"

"Yes."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," she warned as she placed her hand on his head. He heard her say, "_Commemini_," and then his world was black and he was falling.

_Flashback$flashback$flashback$flashback$flashback (really hope you've gotten the idea by now)_

They had finally gotten him to an abandoned warehouse, after chasing him all over the city, when he suddenly disappeared again, leaving only hundreds of Slade-bots to mark that he was ever there. The Titans tore into them, brutally dismembering the robots.

"I'm in the center of the city, Titans. Hurry up…"  
He taunted them from the screen, always a step a head of them. But not tonight. It would end tonight, and all anyone could do was pray that the Titans won.

They set out again, running to the giant statue of a globe that marked the exact center of Jump City. They found him there, perched upon the globe as he would on the world if they did not stop him.

Nightwing grit his teeth. "Your reign of terror ends now, Slade."

"Ah, but I've only just begun, Robin." He chuckled. It was not a nice sound. It was metallic, cold, and spoke of sin in great volumes.

"Titans, GO!"

The group launched forward, each launching an attack. When the smoke cleared, however, Slade still stood there as though nothing had happened. "Hm… Nice try, Titans, but no where near good enough. Although, I suppose if I was actually alive, I'd be dead…"

The Titan's eyes widened as the power of Slade's words hit them. However, before they could do anything about it, he lashed out at them, capturing a hovering Starfire in a long, fiery tendril of power.

Mas y Menos gasped. "Senorita Starfire!" They joined hands and went running toward Slade. But before they could reach him, he sent out two more bits of power, slashing the twins across the stomach.

They froze, and looked down in horror at their abdomens. Then, the screams started. The look on their faces was pure agony as the hydrochloric acid from their stomachs spread over their bodies, eventually reaching the heart and lungs, killing them from the inside out.

Titans East looked Slade with revulsion.

"YOU BASTARD!" Arsenal yelled. "They were only twelve!"

Bumble Bee had tears streaming down her face and Aqualad seemed frozen.

The group could all sense maniacal gleam that lit his eyes grow brighter and the leer that they knew was behind the mask. "And the youngest fall first. Two down, seventeen to go."

It was then they could see his true purpose. Assuredly, he could've killed them easily, cornering them and taking them out one by one. But no, that wasn't the point. He wanted the world to see them, their cold, mutilated bodies, and know that it would be useless to even attempt going against him.

"Titans! Regroup!" Nightwing shouted.

All, save for Starfire, who was still in being held in Slade's grip, moved back to where he was standing.

"We need to get Starfire out of there he does anything!"

Slade might've heard Nightwing, because he then said, "Think of how easy it would be for me to snap her neck, like a little twig. But then again, where's the fun and pain in that? Maybe I'll poke out her eyes first… You'd like to see that, wouldn't you?"

It could've been his twisted thoughts or stench from the already decomposing corpses of Mas y Menos that caused Kole to throw up at this moment, the one meal she had managed to swallow last night splattering all over the asphalt.

Jinx took one look at her, and sighed. "Leave it to me." Her eyes started glowing pink, and almost faster than light, a slash of pink energy flew out and sliced Slade's hold on Starfire, who was caught on a disc of Raven's power and brought to where the Titans were standing.

Slade was no longer as confident as he had seemed a moment ago, but that changed quickly as he snarled and lashed out to grab another hostage.

The Titans scattered, but Jericho wasn't fast enough.

"You're going to get exactly what a traitor like you deserves," Slade hissed. He grabbed one of Jericho's legs and bent it like it was nothing more than a blade of grass. His mouth opened it what would've been a shriek of pain, had his vocal chords worked.

"Hm… You like that? Well, try this." He snapped Jericho's other leg, and his mouth opened again in a silent scream.

"Get away from my teammate!" Raven yelled as she slammed into Slade, making him drop Jericho while simultaneously pushing him off the globe. Argent created a pair of long arms with her powers and caught Jericho before he could hit the ground.

"Aw… Does the little Raven want to play?" Slade sneered. "If that's the case, then I have a few toys that might do the trick…"

Slade-bots began flooding the square, along with some strange machinery that Raven had never seen before. Slade jumped to the top of an eight story building, and she pointedly ignored the robots around her and followed.

As she was nearing the top, Slade tsked. "Uh-uh, little Raven. You might get hurt." He sent a large blast of energy at her quickly, and it knocked her unconscious.

She started falling. The other Titans were too being held back by the robots, and they couldn't get to her. Just as she was about to hit the hard asphalt, a figure stepped out of the alley and caught her.

"Falling for me already, Sunshine?"

Um… Yeah. Hate me if you want to, but I had major writer's block on this. Oh, and I decided to put Argent and Jericho together. Do you think I should change the rating on this? I might have to bump it up for gore. Oh well. Review with your thoughts. I'll probably finish the flashback next chapter, so don't worry.

**Final Randomness-** "There's nothing in the middle of the road but a yellow stripe and dead armadillos." - Jim Hightower, Texas Agricultural Commissioner

**REVIEW! Review like this story's life depends on it! Because evidently, having your own life on the line just isn't doing the trick. **


	5. End of the Flashback

Hi!!!!!!!!!! I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, there were a few questions that I got in a review, and I would just like to clear things up. Frost is a **GIRL**!!!!!! Got that? And as for Roy and the whole low blood sugar thing, don't' over analyze that. I have low blood sugar sometimes in the mornings and when I haven't eaten in a while, so I was alluding to the dizziness, and I was just trying to have them make small talk. Okay, moving on. Sorry if the characters are OOC, but I'm doing my best here. Oh, and this may be slightly gory. Not for the extremely faint of heart. So **DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU! **And just to be consistent, here's Maura Estella.

_ME_: It's so obvious that she owns the Teen Titans that it hurts. I mean, come on- just look at all the amazing commercials for season six that are on air. _NOT!!!!!!!!_ How many times do I have to say this? BRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

**RANDOMNESS- 'Cause I'm just cool like that.   
**You know the euphemism "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"? Well why the HELL would you want to catch flies? Why not just smash them?

**Chapter Five. **Have fun… whatever that is.

_Still flashbacking. _

He set Raven gently on the ground just in time to avoid a hit from a Slade-bot. "Some welcome. You sure know how to make a guy feel wanted."

Nightwing, who had been closest to Raven when she fell, grit his teeth as he finished off the robots near to him. "You are wanted. The FBI, the JCPD, and several research companies, both private and publicly owned, would love to get their hands on you."

"Don't tell me you're actually mad at me for saving Bird Girl's unconscious ass."  
A vein was throbbing in his forehead. "I. am. not. MAD!" he snarled, biting off each word harshly.

Red X gave a mechanical chuckle. "And I'm Starfire's long lost aunt. Give me a break."

Nightwing glared at Red X as he ripped an arm off a Slade-bot.

"So violent," he commented as he shot an X at one of the many androids now surrounding them.

"Like you're one to talk, criminal."

"Your words wound me," Red X shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm so sure. Maybe while they're at it they'll be so kind as to finish you off."

"I'm so sure they'd be glad to, just as long as you get it through your thick skull that I'M NOT THE ENEMY, BIRD BRAIN!"

Neither noticed that while they were fighting each other and the Slade-bots, Raven had regained consciousness. "For probably the only time in my life, I agree with X."

Nightwing turned around to glare at her. "Raven, he's a thief! What on earth makes you think he can be trusted?"

"It's for that very reason that I trust him. He's not another Slade, and we need all the help we can get," she said, gesturing to the fight behind her. The rest of the Titans were fighting hard, but for every android destroyed, another two came to take its place.

"Fine. But he better behave."

Both could tell Red X was smirking behind the mask. "I'll be the best little boy you've ever seen."

Nightwing frowned and Raven scoffed. "And I'm the Queen of England," she retorted, but flew into the battle anyway, Nightwing and Red X close behind her.

**Haven't you figured out what I'm gonna say here by now?**

The Titans were tired. They had been fighting nonstop, and it was beginning to show. Even Red X was exhausted. Every time they destroyed one robot, another two sprang up in its place.

They were at the end of their rope. They large, strange, monstrous machines were guarding Slade, while simultaneously creating more Slade-bots. Raven had managed to destroy one, but the others managed to make up for the missing constructor. Now, Jinx and Starfire were working to tear apart another one, but it was proving to be more resilient to their attacks then expected.

All the while, Slade was watching- observing- them, with no emotion but a sick, twisted form of pride that seemed to radiate over the battlefield, constantly reminding what and why they were fighting, as if the decomposing corpses of Mas y Menos weren't enough.

Finally, at long last, Pantha and Herald broke through. She charged Slade, while Herald followed, sending Slade-bots to dimensions unknown to man.

When Pantha was a yard from Slade, he reacted to her presence. Wrapping a tendril of his demonic powers around her body, he boxed Herald in, preventing him from helping her, a sure fire sign that something bad was about to happen.   
Slade's intentions became clear as he created a knife and began cutting her up.

Her fingers were first, chopped at the joints. Next came her hands. Blood poured from the stumps as Pantha cried out in pain, pure, unadulterated pain.

He let loose a maniacal laugh as he continued to brutally massacre her, finally chopping her head off, sending it to join her severed, butchered limbs that surrounded the body, amid the organs and intestines that had been torn from her ripped open torso, amongst the blood that still poured from her long dead body.

He picked it up and pulled off her mask, freeing the auburn curls. He took the knife, dripping with her still wet blood, and carved an S, his symbol, into her forehead.

Chuckling maniacally, he turned to Herald. "You're next, trumpet boy."

His eyes widened in fear and horror as they automatically latched on to what was once Pantha, now only a pile of butchered flesh and still flowing blood.

"Don't worry, little boy. I won't do anything like that to you. No, your death won't be as messy. I'd forgotten how hard it is to get blood stains out of clothing." Another laugh had Herald backing as far away from Slade as he could, blowing his trumpet like mad in desperate attempts to escape.

"You can blow your horn all you want, but you can't escape from Death's grasp," Slade taunted.

Herald just defiantly, or perhaps stupidly, kept playing, the sounds coming from his horn like nothing Slade had ever heard before, like nothing that anyone had ever heard come from a trumpet, seemingly attempting to summon a portal, to no avail.

"Haven't you figured out yet that my powers can prevent you from creating portals? Tsk, tsk… I expected more from a Titans North member. You're notoriously bright, or so I've been told," he said nonchalantly, as though he were doing no more than commenting on the weather.

"There's always a way to escape," Herald boldly stated, and resumed playing.

He just shook his had sadly, as if to say, "Look at the poor, dilusioned sap I'm about to kill."

Far away, however, at the edge of the battlefield, a certain dark sorceress heard the music and froze, mid-Slade-bot. A certain thief next to her took note of this, and he quickly destroyed all the androids surrounding them. "What's wrong, Sunshine?"

She got a far-off look in her eyes, and just started singing softly. "Because one day, I'll leave you/A phantom to lead you to the summer/To join the black parade." Snapping out of her trance, she looked at Red X. "Herald's about to die, and he's just graciously informed me."

Back up at the front, Herald was wishing he had saved his breath as Slade strangled him, slowly, painfully killing him.

As he let go of Herald's neck, a black shadow swooped in and stopped his body from hitting the ground.

That shadow transformed into a woman with a long blue cloak, gray skin, and violet hair and eyes. "Herald!" Completely ignoring the enemy before her, she concentrated on healing the boy in her arms, the energy in her hands going from a soft blue glow to a harsh white light.

A beat of the heart, a shallow breath drawn. For a moment, her heart soared, and then plummeted even lower when nothing followed. Allowing tears to run down her face for the first time, a potentially violent display of emotion from the empathy, she finally acknowledged Slade's presence.

"You killed him," she accused, her voice hollow and still devoid of emotion, despite the dead man in her arms.

"That I did. Do you plan on doing something about it?" he smirked, feeling confident in his abilities to destroy her.

"Yes." And with that single word so rightly uttered, she slumped over, and her spirit, a powerful ebony raven, exploded from her back. It cawed loudly, and Slade backed away from the dangerous embodiment of Raven. From its wings flew darts of black, each imbedding itself in one of the Titans before him.

Red X found himself watching as, one by one, as the Titans were possessed by Raven's power, their eyes glowed black, and their bodies became seemingly impervious to fatigue and other mortal weaknesses. They brutally destroyed the constructors and the remainder of the robots in a flash of fire, color, and pure rage before Raven took away the seeds of her power, leaving the Titans to fall unconscious where they stood.

The ebony bird retreated into her body, and he was more than surprised when she stood.

"You've been a very, very bad boy, Slade," she hissed as she drew her head up.

Expecting to see eyes of violet, he was once again caught unaware upon viewing four eyes, similar in color to the blood that was pooled around his feet.

Her hair, as well, lost its amethyst color. Now pure black, appearing to suck in light rather than reflect it, it flowed to her waist. Only semi-familiar leotard was able to remind him that this was indeed Raven, the dark sorceress of the Titans.

Her crimson eyes trained on Slade, she stalked slowly towards him. Her hand glowed black, matching her hair. Slade was too terrified to move as she approached. Her hand went into his chest, and pulled out his soul, a horribly grotesque thing, solid black, writhing and squirming in her hand. Raven chanted something, and a group of even more monstrous spirits, if possible, came.

The only sound was that of the words she hissed. _"Get him." _

She let Slade's soul, if it could be called that, free. Immediately it fled from the things she summoned, but they followed it eagerly, leaving what was once the body of the most feared criminal in the world to crumble to dust.

Suddenly, Red X could remember no more, just a black, piercing sensation, followed by a warm, white, soothing one…

_End flashback. 'Cause that's all there is to say._

When Red X woke from his "slumber", Raven was lying partially on him, partially off him, from where she collapsed when retrieving his memories. He found it a rather pleasant sensation, to have human contact after so long. He figured that he'd let her stay there, just while he slept…

**(Notes and whatnot, the chapter's technically over, but I have some important stuff to say)**

**Final Randomness: **There are people I would take a bullet for, and people I would like to put a bullet in.

_(okay, still more important stuff)_

I have a couple of things to say down here, too.

First off, hope that cleared up some questions.

Second off, no one told me if I should change my rating or not! This annoys me. Come on, guys. A little feed back on that would've been nice. But I am happy you guys all decided to review.

And finally, chapter dedications to whoever can guess at least one of the following: The sort of spirits Raven summoned and Red X's name. I gave hints last chapter as to the latter. Better go back and re-examine the text!

Bye, **AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT ANYONE FINDS SACRED, HOLY, AND GOOD, REVIEW! LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! Because I know where you live. O.O**


End file.
